Birding Fun [w/ the Audubon Society!]

I've loved birds for as long as I can remember, and I look for them everywhere I go, from my backyard to Nebraska to Costa Rica. I read about them constantly, too. In response to widespread over hunting, in 1905, the National Audubon Society was launched. Today, they remain at the front lines of the bird conservation movement. So, consider me absolutely smitten when Audubon Great Lakes reached out to ask if I wanted to work together to celebrate our local wetlands. Um, say less. I am down here in the Big Marsh area. It is the largest park in the Chicago Park District here on the south side. Super industrial area. And even though it is middle of November and most of our friends have gone, we're still going to go look for some birds. Actually, the first thing I had to find was my friend Kayla, who's the senior stewardship associate for Audubon Great Lakes. I love reading about what Audubon does! Alright, please enjoy the highlight reel of my birding trip with Kayla, including the fact that I don't have good camera gear for this sort of thing. What the heck is that? What's good, Kayla? What's good? Oh, what's good? Yeah, sparrows. Song sparrow tree sparrows. Swap sparrow. Trifecta of sparrows. It's all sparrows all the way down. There he is. What a cutie. Oh my god, you're so cute. It's a bird. Oh, actually, this might be a Cooper now that I'm looking at its tail. Woo! He gave us a little dance. Oh, I hear Sparrow. Sparrow is a chirping. The Calumet region has a long and deep history where the goals of industry and wildlife have often been at odds. But the love of birds has always been high. And today, groups like the Chicago Park District and the Audubon Society are partnering with lots of local organizations, artists, and extreme bike park designers to make a multi-purpose nature and recreation space for everybody. We'll get more into the invasive weeds next time. This buckthorn was not this tall. But first, if you think hanging out with Kayla seems like a good time, which it is, then I highly recommend you check out the marsh bird monitoring program through Audubon Great Lakes. I am blown away by the amount of data they collect from volunteers, not just from the Chicago area, but all across the Great Lakes. You can find more info on their website. But I personally cannot wait to get back out. It didn't even matter that it was the middle of winter. We still saw cool birds. It's a bird. heard cool birds and just had a great time.